Paxman: 'Strictly Come Dancing? You want your head examined'

Jeremy Paxman takes on BBC colleagues saying you "want your head examined" if
you agree to appear on Strictly Come Dancing and that he would "pay good
money not to watch newsreaders making ----- of themselves" on Children in
Need

They have become as much a part of the BBC’s Children in Need as Pudsey the Bear, with the corporation’s leading newsreaders dressing up and performing dance routines.

But these light-hearted efforts do not bring a smile to everyone’s face, it seems. Jeremy Paxman has attacked the skits, saying “I will pay good money not to watch newsreaders making ----- of themselves.”

He added: “I don’t understand why they want to do it” – although he did concede it helped to raise money for the charity.

The Newsnight presenter also criticised colleagues who appear on Strictly Come Dancing: “You want your head examined to do that.”

He disclosed that the producers of the show had twice approached him to try to persuade him to take part. He held out little hope that he might finally be convinced.

The latest series of Strictly Come Dancing features Susanna Reid – who has previously appeared in a Children in Need performance. Others newsreaders and journalists to appear on the dancing show include Bill Turnbull, John Sergeant and Chris Hollins,

Among those to have appeared on Children in Need performances is Emily Maitlis, Paxman’s fellow Newsnight presenter, as well as Sophie Raworth, Fiona Bruce and Kate Silverton.

He admitted that he did not watch much television at all. “The great discovery, I think, is the off button,” he added.

Paxman was speaking to Steve Wright, the Radio 2 disc jockey, in one of series of interviews available for download from the station’s website, to raise money for the charity, ahead of Children in Need night, on November 15.

Paxman, who attended Malvern College, an independent school, also told of the “unhappiness” of his school days. He said he had been “subversive” and faced several punishments – “for being “truculent, difficult, being caught in a pub, being caught with a girl. There were loads and loads of things.”

In common with this year’s Children in Need, the theme for the podcasts is “heroes” and Chris Evans, the broadcaster, interviews Sir Paul McCartney.

The former Beatle was asked about his own childhood heroes and, along with Fred Astaire, he, perhaps surprisingly, picked the Queen, on whom he admitted to having had a crush.

“The Queen was a great heroine for kids our age,” he said. “I was 11 when she got crowned and she was early 20s, something like that.

“She, to us, was a good looking young woman. You can’t think of that now. But, I mean, I don’t see why not.

“Then definitely, it was like “cor, look at her”. We rather fancied her.”

Sir Paul, who also performs an impression of Prince Charles, added: “So sorry your maj. I hope that doesn’t offend you. I bet if she ever hears it she’d be rather pleased.”

He also told how his family in Liverpool had helped to “keep his feet on the ground”, after he found fame with The Beatles.

“With The Beatles there was potential for getting very above yourself. I would go back to Liverpool at least once a year to see the family and would always come away from that thinking: ‘OK, its just me again, I’m just Paul. None of this highfalutin big star in America, MBEs and any of that.”

He also agreed that his greatest achievement had been in raising a family, while one of the most high profile celebrities in the world.

In his interview, with Simon Mayo, Larry King, the veteran American broadcaster, said that he had did not like the style adopted by his successor, Piers Morgan, who took over his CNN show, although he said he liked the Briton.

“Piers is not my style. He is the direct opposite of how I do interviews. Piers is a person who uses the word I a lot, asks a lot of long questions, is a little pontifical.

“I like him personally. All I say is, he is not my style. I don’t watch him much.”

King also expressed fears for the depths of rancour to which he believes American politics has sunk.

“It is a sad place and I don’t know where it is going to go. People hate their leaders. This is hate. It is unbelievable.

“The left hated George Bush. The right hates Barack Obama. It is just said. I don’t have an answer. It is getting worse.”